The anatomical site distribution of clinical dental caries in the maxillary incisor teeth of 11- and 12-year-old children

Abstract

The prevalence and selected aspects of the anatomical site distribution of dental caries in the maxillary incisor teeth of 11- and 12-year-old children are described. Data were obtained from two independent sources. An epidemiological study of 1246 boys and 1191 girls residing in the Leeds area constituted the first source. In this population of 2437 children, 560 (that is 23 per cent) had one or more DMF (including crowned) maxillary incisor teeth. The second source consisted of a survey carried out by school dental officers in the North of England (excluding the Leeds area) who recorded the anatomical site distribution of missing and carious teeth in 463 twelve-year-old children with DMF maxillary incisor teeth. It was found that the distribution of DMF maxillary incisor teeth among individuals is extremely non-random. Generally speaking, a high degree of right-left symmetry between affected teeth and affected sites (especially in central incisors) was observed in the population. In individuals, however, the frequency of asymmetrical attacks of caries at mesial, distal and lingual pit sites nearly always exceeded that of symmetrical attacks. Similarly, the frequency of single attacks at mesial and distal sites on adjacent maxillary incisor teeth, was greater than that of double attacks in which both mesial and distal sites were affected. Also, for a given tooth, unilateral lesions (mesial or distal surfaces) were much more common than bilateral ones (mesial and distal surfaces). The general features of the anatomical site distribution of dental caries in maxillary incisor teeth, broadly resemble those reported earlier in mandibular incisors, and it is concluded that they implicate an endogenous contribution to the multifactorial pathogenesis of dental caries.